Car taken out of the country, failure to notify and insure?

AdrianC

theplastickid wrote: »

I didn't ... drive it in the country I went to.

Am I the only one wondering how the vehicle got from the UK to the country it's been in, and how it's getting back again?

Iceweasel

This a mad thread - extreme ignorance never ceases to amaze.

The car is almost certainly illegal/irregular in the country where it is now as well as the UK, as very few countries allow a foreign vehicle to stay for more than 6 months without registering it in that country.

You can't drive a car in any country without insurance - so how is it going to be taken back to the UK - on a trailer presumably.

The OP is going to have a steep learning curve on what you need to do as regards car ownership.

And "I didn't realise" or "Nobody told me." won't help.

The bad attitude doesn't help any either.

Large portion of humble pie required.

I wonder what else the OP is unaware of.

Ignorance is bliss, they say - but it's expensive.

PasturesNew

To be fair, in an increasingly over-regulated world, with people who are paid vast salaries to just sit and dream up new 'laws'.... there's no way one person can possibly know everything about every aspect of their life -and- keep abreast of their work stuff -and- keep on top of their account switching -and- keep on top of all the deals/offers -and- keep on top of what you need to do about cars, houses, changes..... not to mention travel, relocating, packing, vacating a home, stuff to store/where, passport, insurance, don't lose your paperwork, check out meetings, meter readings, paying final bills, forwarding post .... it's got to the stage where it's all far too much.

If you start off not having a clue there are laws/rules, then you're not going to go looking for them....and there are already 1001 other things you need to investigate as you do think there's a rule/law about something or other.

While the OP did wrong, it's simply not possible for everybody to always be abreast of everything and everything they should be doing. It's just not.

AdrianC

PasturesNew wrote: »

To be fair, in an increasingly over-regulated world, with people who are paid vast salaries to just sit and dream up new 'laws'.... there's no way one person can possibly know everything about every aspect of their life -and- keep abreast of their work stuff -and- keep on top of their account switching -and- keep on top of all the deals/offers -and- keep on top of what you need to do about cars, houses, changes..... not to mention travel, relocating, packing, vacating a home, stuff to store/where, passport, insurance, don't lose your paperwork, check out meetings, meter readings, paying final bills, forwarding post .... it's got to the stage where it's all far too much.

If you start off not having a clue there are laws/rules, then you're not going to go looking for them....and there are already 1001 other things you need to investigate as you do think there's a rule/law about something or other.

While the OP did wrong, it's simply not possible for everybody to always be abreast of everything and everything they should be doing. It's just not.

Insurance has been a legal requirement for any and every car on the road in any and every civilised country for many decades.
Ensuring temporary exported cars are legal in their home country to be legal wherever they happen to be has been a requirement of any and every civilised country for many decades.
SORNing all untaxed UK registered cars has been a requirement since 1998.
Continuous insurance has been a requirement for all cars UK registered for almost five years.

And, yes, it IS absolutely up to the registered keeper of a vehicle to ensure they know what the law requires of them. Don't like it? Don't be a registered keeper.

buglawton

Moto2 wrote: »

Oh, they'll have known all right if you drove it out.

Unfortunately we don't have government agencies that are capable tying their data up.

We do, but if we used them London's homes and offices would not get cleaned or the inhabitants fed in the local restaurants.

buglawton

PasturesNew wrote: »

To be fair, in an increasingly over-regulated world, with people who are paid vast salaries to just sit and dream up new 'laws'.... there's no way one person can possibly know everything about every aspect of their life -and- keep abreast of their work stuff -and- keep on top of their account switching -and- keep on top of all the deals/offers -and- keep on top of what you need to do about cars, houses, changes..... not to mention travel, relocating, packing, vacating a home, stuff to store/where, passport, insurance, don't lose your paperwork, check out meetings, meter readings, paying final bills, forwarding post .... it's got to the stage where it's all far too much.

If you start off not having a clue there are laws/rules, then you're not going to go looking for them....and there are already 1001 other things you need to investigate as you do think there's a rule/law about something or other.

While the OP did wrong, it's simply not possible for everybody to always be abreast of everything and everything they should be doing. It's just not.

So true, but getting stung by either the Law or by an overrunning Sky Now TV subscription is a great aide-memoir.

2Protons

PasturesNew wrote: »

To be fair, in an increasingly over-regulated world, with people who are paid vast salaries to just sit and dream up new 'laws'.... there's no way one person can possibly know everything about every aspect of their life -and- keep abreast of their work stuff -and- keep on top of their account switching -and- keep on top of all the deals/offers -and- keep on top of what you need to do about cars, houses, changes..... not to mention travel, relocating, packing, vacating a home, stuff to store/where, passport, insurance, don't lose your paperwork, check out meetings, meter readings, paying final bills, forwarding post .... it's got to the stage where it's all far too much.

If you start off not having a clue there are laws/rules, then you're not going to go looking for them....and there are already 1001 other things you need to investigate as you do think there's a rule/law about something or other.

While the OP did wrong, it's simply not possible for everybody to always be abreast of everything and everything they should be doing. It's just not.

I statement like this make me worry (it not a new change it happened 17 years ago) do you not keep up with changes in the highway code as well?

I didn't realise I had to let the UK government know what I was doing with MY car.

It has being a legal requirement (there was an extensive advertising campaign until at least 2005 about this) to either license (tax) any Vehicle that has being licensed anytime since 31 January 1998 or to make statutory declaration (SORNed) that the Vehicle will not be kept or driven on the public highway at least once a year to ensure the accuracy of registered keepers records (help prevent Vehicle crime) and to make the job of finding unlicensed Vehicles easier (note an unlicensed Vehicles probably don't does not have an valid MOT so could be a danger to others via being unroadworthy also practically all all insurance policies are void with no Tax or MOT so they are also all uninsured Vehicles as well).

I also suspect this is also the reason why photographic driving licenses expire after 10 year. To make sure people keep the records upto date.

In 2011 it also became a requirement for all Vehicles to be insured against 3rd party risks to stop people cancelling policies after they licensed a Vehicle unless it is SORNed and the use in that time of ANPR cameras (both mobile and stationary) and the impoundment of unlawful Vehicles have sky rocketed.

Then when you take your GB registered car to any European country you can only do so legally if comply with both GB rules and that of the country you go to. Although the people who ask the question did not say what country they had the car in it would look at what the law of that country requires for example in France it is illegal to have a Vehicle full stop which is not insured against 3rd party risks regardless if it is not being driving on the public highway.

If I bring my car back to the UK to try and sell it does anyone know if I will be liable for these fines or not? If so will they go against the vehicle or myself personally?

No you will have to pay them as the offence relate to you as a driver not the Vehicle you will get at least an IN10 endorsement and at least 6 point of your driving licence on top of the fine and if you annoy the court by avoiding them you may receive a driving ban and if you really unlucky end up in prison for contempt of court (for not paying the fines).

I think you should get some legal advise in both this country & where you kept the car. But what ever you do don't drive the car anywhere.

zappahey

[QUOTE=2Protons;69207693
I also suspect this is also the reason why photographic living license expire after 10 year..[/QUOTE]

Bloomin' heck, I missed that one coming in| :rotfl: